heritage assessment city north expanded area · heritage assessment: city north structure plan area...

ABN 69 596 118 712 Directors Meredith Gould B Arch Hons (Melb), Grad Dip Conservation Studies (York UK)

Bruce Ziebell Dip Ed (Melb), Dip Bus (RMIT)

Heritage Assessment City North Structure Plan Area Expanded Study Area

September 2011 Prepared for the City of Melbourne

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Heritage Assessment: City North Structure Plan Area September 2011

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Contents 1 Background to the Heritage Assessment ................................................................................3 1.1 ‘City North’ Study Area ...........................................................................................................................3 1.2 The Character of City North Study Area .................................................................................................4 1.3 The Character of City North Study Area and its Context ........................................................................4 1.4 Purpose of the Heritage Assessment. ....................................................................................................4 1.5 Methodology ...........................................................................................................................................5 2 Existing Heritage Data................................................................................................................6 2.1 Local Government Heritage Assessments..............................................................................................6 2.2 Victorian Heritage Register, Commonwealth Heritage List and National Heritage List ...........................7 2.3 National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Register.........................................................................................7 2.4 Design and Development Overlays ........................................................................................................7 3 Built-form Sectors in City North................................................................................................8 3.1 Historical Overview.................................................................................................................................8 3.2 Theme 1. 1830s. A Wooded Landscape; Aboriginal contact. ...............................................................11 3.3 Theme 2. Markets; Servicing the Markets ..........................................................................................13 3.4 Theme 3. Urban Planning in Melbourne - Boulevards and the Hay Market .........................................17 3.5 Theme 4. Servicing the Central City ....................................................................................................21 3.6 Theme 5. Residential Renaissance in the Central City........................................................................25 3.7 Theme 6. Expansion of the University of Melbourne into Carlton South..............................................26 4 Built Form Sectors....................................................................................................................27 4.1 Built Form Character Sector 1 The Block bounded by Flemington Road, Harcourt Street, Courtney Street and Bedford Place. ...................................................................................................................................28 4.2 Built Form Character Sector 2 Elizabeth Street north of Queensberry Street......................................29 4.3 Built Form Character Sector 3 Elizabeth Street south of Queensberry Street ......................................30 4.4 Built Form Character Sector 4 Berkeley Street and South Carlton .......................................................31 4.5 Built Form Character Sector 5 Leicester Street and east to Swanton Street .......................................33 4.6 Built Form Character Sector 6 City Fringe, east of the Queen Victoria Market environs ......................33 4.7 Sector 7 Queen Victoria Market environs south and east....................................................................35 4.8 Built Form Character Sector 8 Queen Victoria Market environs north ..................................................36 4.9 Built Form Character Sector 9 Queen Victoria Market, Peel and Capel Streets ..................................37 4.10 Built Form Character Sector 10 Grattan Street and the northern portion of South Carlton. .................38 5 Accommodating heritage values within the parameters for change ..................................40 5.1 Accommodating demand at appropriate locations................................................................................40 5.2 Interaction of DDOs and HOs. ..............................................................................................................40 5.3 Certainty in relation to heights ..............................................................................................................41 5.4 Recommended range of heights for City North.....................................................................................41 5.5 Extent of Heritage Overlays in City North .............................................................................................42 5.6 A Statement of Significance for Individual Heritage Overlays in City North ..........................................42 5.7 Interpretation of Heritage Significance..................................................................................................42 6 Summary of Recommendations for Retention and Enhancement of Heritage Significance within the City North Structure Plan Area ......................................................................................43 6.1 Amendments to Design and Development Overlays: ...........................................................................43 6.2 Amendments to Existing Heritage Overlays: ........................................................................................45 6.3 Investigation of Places for Further Heritage Controls ...........................................................................46 6.4 Interpretation of Historic Themes within City North...............................................................................46 7 Bibliography..............................................................................................................................47 8 Appendix A................................................................................................................................48 9 Appendix B................................................................................................................................58


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1 Background to the Heritage Assessment

1.1 ‘City North’ Study Area1 Centred on Elizabeth Street, the ‘City North’ Structure Plan area is located to the north of the central Melbourne area, and includes parts of the suburb of Melbourne, the eastern parts of the suburb of North Melbourne and the area previously known as South Carlton but renamed as Melbourne in recent years. A’Beckett Street forms the boundary to the south, Grattan Street and Flemington Road the boundary to the north, Berkeley and Swanston Streets the eastern boundaries, and Capel and William Streets the western boundaries. It covers relatively flat land south of Victoria Street, rising at a reasonably steep grade to Grattan Street. The ‘City North’ area is marked in red on Figure 1. The Study Area for the Heritage Assessment includes the City North area, with an expansion to include the area to the east bounded by Berkerley, Swanston, Grattan and Queensberry Streets and the blocks south west of Flemington Road up to Courtney Street.

Figure 1 City North Area, outlined in red. This Heritage Assessment relates to the area in red plus the area to the east bounded by Berkerley, Swanston, Grattan and Queensberry Streets; and the blocks south west of Flemington Road up to Courtney Street. City of Melbourne 1 A report on the Area outlined in red in Figure 1 was prepared in December 2010.


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The City of Melbourne’s draft Municipal Strategic Statement identifies City North as an urban renewal area. Urban renewal areas are where large sites and whole precincts will undergo a transition to ensure any underutilises land or derelict sites are redeveloped2. The City of Melbourne is preparing a structure plan to guide this change. Melbourne Metro 2 - an underground station proposed to be located near the Grattan Street/Royal Parade corner - is intended to service expansion within the study area, however only a study for the project is funded. There is no funding for construction and there is no likely construction date projected for this facility.

1.2 The Character of City North Study Area Sharply contrasting built form character is evident within the study area. To the west in North Melbourne, the existing buildings are almost uniformly low scale, and largely contribute to the existing heritage precinct here. Conversely, in the south eastern sector, there are some very tall buildings, and few buildings are covered by heritage overlay. Between these extremes, other parts of the study area display a less marked contrast in the scale of abutting sites, and variability in the density and distribution of sites that contribute to heritage values. In some parts of the study area that are not covered by a precinct heritage overlay, there are groups of contributory buildings which form a streetscape which forms the dominant and distinctive urban form. The City North study area is too diverse to be considered as one built form type. For the purposes of this report, the study area has been divided into 11 built form character sectors. These are described in Section 3.

1.3 The Character of City North Study Area and its Context The contextual area adjoining the City North Structure Plan area is variable in built form: > North context. The Royal Melbourne hospital complex comprising a series of medium height and

tall buildings and adjoining west along Flemington Road are institutional buildings of medium height, all of which are within the current DDO height control.

> North-west context. The low scale Parkville residential precinct generally of 1 to 2 storey heights, almost all of which is included in the Parkville Heritage Overlay HO4.

> North context. The low to medium height buildings of the University of Melbourne campus set in large open landscape areas.

> East and north-east context. On the east side of Swanston Street many buildings follow the DDO height limit of around 10 storeys and are associated with student housing. Beyond to the east and up to Cardigan Street are a scattering of hospital, commercial and former industrial sites set amongst the low scale residential area of Carlton.

> South-east context. RMIT is a mixture of medium and high rise forms but incorporates many early to mid twentieth century buildings which have been adapted for an education related use.

> South context. Commercial development typical of the central business district with sharply contrasting heights from small single storey buildings to very tall buildings.

> South-west context. Flagstaff Gardens, the major park space within the central city. > West and north-west context. The low scale areas of North Melbourne, almost all of which are

included in the North and West Melbourne Heritage Overlay HO3.

1.4 Purpose of the Heritage Assessment. The purpose of this assessment includes the following: > Identification of the historical cultural heritage values in the study area, recognising the role the

area has played in the development of Melbourne. > Identification of areas currently covered by heritage overlays in the Melbourne Planning Scheme

and any other heritage listings. 2 Urban renewal area definition provided by the City of Melbourne Planning and Infrastructure division.


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> Identification of significant gaps in existing heritage overlay coverage. > Identification of opportunities for built form/land use conversion. > Recommendations for measures and mechanisms to integrate the heritage themes and the

historical industrial character of the area into the structure plan and new development.

1.5 Methodology Publicly accessible areas within City North have been visited for the preparation of this report, noting the general nature of development which has occurred in recent years and comparison with the area conservation studies undertaken for the City of Melbourne in the mid 1980s. A systematic heritage review of every site has not been undertaken and no research has been undertaken for sites which have been identified as gaps in the existing heritage overlay coverage. Victorian Heritage Register, Australian Heritage Register and National Trust of Australia (Victoria) resources have been reviewed on line. Information related to existing Design and Development Overlays, Heritage Overlays and Archaeological Potential maps have been reviewed online at the Department of Planning Community Development website and in hard copy at the City of Melbourne Planning Department. An on line search of the extensive image and map collections has been undertaken through the State Library of Victoria, Picture Australia, Picture Victoria and the National Library of Australia. See the bibliography for secondary source research. Throughout this heritage assessment the ‘Study Area’ refers to the City North Structure Plan area plus the area to the east bounded by Berkerley, Swanston, Grattan and Queensberry Streets and the blocks south west of Flemington Road up to but not including Courtney Street. In some places in the report, this ‘Study Area’ is referred to as ‘City North’.


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2 Existing Heritage Data

2.1 Local Government Heritage Assessments The relevant broad scale area studies to the City North area are: for North Melbourne the North and West Melbourne Conservation Study,1985 prepared by Graeme Butler and Associates; for Carlton, North Carlton and Princes Hill Conservation Study, 1985 prepared by Nigel Lewis and Associates; for the Queen Victoria Market the Harbour, Railways, Industrial Conservation Study (Gap Study), 1985 prepared by Meredith Gould Architects, Conservation Architects; and for the area south of Victoria Street and east of the Peel Street, the Central Activities District Conservation Study, 1985 prepared by Graeme Butler and Associates. Except for the Gap Study, accompanying each area conservation study is a hand-coloured map indicating sites which were ascribed a grading of A, B, C, D or E. These maps have been severely affected by exposure ultraviolet light but remain largely legible and are included in Appendix A. Lists of buildings/sites graded in the studies are included in Volume 1 of each area study. A brief historical overview of the development of North and West Melbourne, and South Carlton is included in the relevant area studies. All buildings graded in the area conservation studies are represented in a Building Identification Form, including a photograph The Heritage Precincts Project prepared by Meredith Gould Architects Pty Ltd includes a statement of significance and background history to development for each existing heritage precinct in the City of Melbourne. In City North, this is directly relevant to the Study Area for the Queen Victoria Market precinct HO7 and for North and West Melbourne heritage precinct HO3 and Carlton HO1 to the east of City North and indirectly relevant for Parkville HO4 to the north of City North. The statement of significance for North Melbourne recognised the importance of the markets and market servicing industries such as carriage works, stables and agricultural implement makers to the character and development of City North. The statements of significance were adopted by Melbourne City Council on 2 September 2008 and form part of an Amendment to the Melbourne Planning Scheme3. These statements are included in Appendix B. Strongly focused on buildings, the area heritage studies have less emphasis on sites between the wars and after WW2. With changes in the last decade to include social significance in the Heritage provisions in the Melbourne Planning Scheme, a more broad range of sites could be considered to contribute to heritage significance than are represented in the existing studies. In particular, industry and the industrial workplace are not well represented although these clearly play a part in shaping Melbourne and the economy of Victoria. In 1999, the ‘Urban Conservation Areas’ first delineated in the Melbourne Planning Scheme in 1983 were renamed ‘Heritage Overlays’. Many sites outside the Urban Conservation Areas graded in the area conservation studies were included in an individual Heritage Overlay in 1999; some were excluded however, the grounds for which are unknown. In the early 2000s ‘E’ graded buildings within the City of Melbourne were reviewed by Allom Lovell. Some were further reviewed by Meredith Gould Architects Pty Ltd. The ‘E’ graded places were either upgraded to A, B, C or D grade, or amended to have no grading. The Melbourne Heritage Inventory 2008 is a referral document in the local policy section of the Melbourne scheme. It is a list of addresses covered by a precinct or individual Heritage Overlay. Within the central city area, the potential for sites to contain Archaeological potential has been predicted on a series of maps which are held at the City of Melbourne. Parts of City North are included on these maps. 3 The amendment has not yet been placed on exhibition.


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There are some anomalies between the Building Identification Forms for graded sites, the coloured tile on the area heritage study maps (Appendix A), the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay in the Planning Scheme and the Heritage Overlay as represented on the Melbourne Planning Scheme Maps, e.g. 620-630 Elizabeth Street. There has been no resurvey of the heritage assets of the area since the mid 1980s and no review of the various area studies. A Heritage Strategy for the City of Melbourne is currently in preparation; however this does not include a physical review of the places within City North.

2.2 Victorian Heritage Register, Commonwealth Heritage List and National Heritage List

The following places within City North are included in the Victorian Heritage Register: > 2-76 Bouverie Street Carlton, buildings within the former Carlton and United Brewery site > Queen Victoria Market, Victoria, Elizabeth, Queen, Peel and Therry Streets > Peel Street North Melbourne Tramway poles > The Meat Market corner Blackwood, Courtney and Wreckyn Streets, North Melbourne. > Royal Parade roadway and trees, Parkville and Carlton Places included in the Victorian Heritage Register are subject to the Heritage Act including permits for works. Within the Central city zone, potential for discovery of archaeology associated with early Melbourne has been mapped. Queen Victoria Market and the land to the east and south within the study area include sites with archaeological potential. Consent to excavation is required from Heritage Victoria for many sites. No parts of City North are included in the Commonwealth or National Heritage Lists.

2.3 National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Register Many places in City North are included in the National Trust Register. This can be searched at: http://www.nattrust.com.au/trust_register__1. No statutory implications follow from the inclusion of a place in the National Trust Register.

2.4 Design and Development Overlays Design and Development Overlays DDO1, DDO14, DDO30, DDO32, DDO44 and DDO45 occur at various locations within the Study Area.


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3 Built-form Sectors in City North Historical influences have forged the built form character of the development in the City North Structure Plan area. Eleven Built Form Sectors have been identified within the context of six historical themes. Recommendations for actions which would assist in the conservation of heritage significance within these Sectors are included in Section 5.

3.1 Historical Overview

Figure 2 1837 with 1838 update. Hoddle, Map of the surveyed lands of Melbourne. Roll Plan 104, S.L.V. The area marked’ ‘Melbourne Reserve’ is the first Township Reserve for Melbourne. The first Town Reserve for Melbourne and the city grid were laid out in 1837 by Russell and Hoddle as a skeleton for the urban form of Melbourne. The City North study area is at the northern junction of what is known as the Hoddle grid, with the first Township Reserve for Melbourne. (Figure 2). It includes Elizabeth Street and its extension from the Haymarket, to follow the primary transport route to Geelong along Flemington Road (also established by 1837) and to Sydney along Royal Parade. This region of Melbourne is a gateway to the hinterland. Melbourne was surveyed as a Town Reserve with a grid of village allotments at its centre. The survey has a starting point at Batman’s Hill and sets out a township area which is: one mile to magnetic north from Batman’s Hill in the alignment of Victoria Street; with a western alignment set one mile to the west of Batman’s Hill; an eastern alignment two miles east of Batman’s Hill defined by Hoddle Street; and a southern alignment at the Yarra River. Batman’s Hill is also the commencement point for the survey of the state of Victoria. The position selected for the first town settlement provided close access to fresh water, and high ground between the two hills - Batman’s Hill to the west and the Eastern Hill – it was favourable for construction of the first buildings on the town allotments within the Hoddle grid. Outside this first Town Reserve was good agricultural land to the north and east, whereas to the west the land was taken up by an extensive swamp. Surveyor Robert Russel positioned the street grid for the township allotments, skewed off magnetic alignment to roughly align with the river, thereby giving easy access to water (in the River) for a large proportion of the allotments. Hoddle confirmed this arrangement,


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slightly modifying the street layout to include primary streets and the ‘Little’ streets for servicing. The first grid extended from Spring Street to Spencer Street but had only 3 blocks in a northerly direction extending from Finders Street to Lonsdale Street. Within a few years, the grid was extended to La Trobe Street, still leaving a large area of land outside the grid but within the Town area reserved from sale. Survey and sale of this land occurred over several years. In part the delay in subdivision of land for the expansion of the central grid related to decisions the government had to make about the layout and sale of land outside the Town Reserve, the arrangement to be adopted for parks, and the determination of the course of the main road to Sydney which would traverse the land set aside for open space. Appreciating that the first cemetery on Flagstaff Hill would be inadequate, one of the earliest allocations of land to be made within the land around the grid but inside the first Town Reserve, was a sizable rectangle for a cemetery in 1837. The cemetery is evident on Hoddle’s ‘Plan of North and South Melbourne’ of 1842 (Figure 6). By 1853 it contained over 10,000 burials4 and was deemed to be full. A new cemetery was laid out in North Carlton. Also early in the development of Melbourne were the allocations of land reserved for the various markets essential to the operation of the remote township. Location of the markets on the northern edge of the village made sense. The developed agricultural lands were to the west of Melbourne and the overland route which would be used for bringing livestock and goods to market diverted around the western swamp at the southern end of the Moonee Ponds Creek, to access Melbourne from the northwest. In 1842, Hoddle shows a cattle market of 10 acres opposite the cemetery just outside the Town Reserve. (Figure 6) Following the Darling Rules for the layout of new towns in the colony, the lands outside the Town Reserve were intended to be farming allotments. Early sales of large farming allotments occurred in South Yarra. Close to the town centre in Collingwood and Richmond, the early large farming parcels quickly became the subject of speculation and were redivided, resulting in a poor quality urban layout. To enable better control over development the Melbourne Town Reserve was extended to Park Street (Brunswick) in the north and to Commercial Road in the south, in the following decade. Extensive areas within this second Melbourne Town Reserve were withheld from sale for public purposes for parks, roads and public purposes. For example the University of Melbourne was reserved in 1853 and the location of Peel Street and the northern portion of Elizabeth Street were not set for several years after the first sale of township allotments. A Hay, Horse and Pig Market were allocated near the Elizabeth/Flemington Road route to the hinterland. Kearney shows these in his map of 1855 (Figure 8) on the southern border of what would later become Parkville and is now part of the Dental Hospital and Royal Melbourne Hospital sites. The large intersection south of these markets became known as the Haymarket, although the Hay Market itself was on the Dental Hospital site. South of the market site, a weighbridge was located in the large intersection of Royal Parade, Flemington Road and Elizabeth Street. It can be seen behind a group of cyclists preparing for a race in 1895 with a backdrop of buildings on the west side of the top end of Elizabeth Street. One of these has a sign near the parapet indicating its use as the ‘NEW HAYMARKET HOTEL’. (Figure 3). An ‘Old Haymarket hotel’ is shown around the corner in Flemington Road on the 1897 Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) plan (Figure 4).

4 Segazio C., Old Melbourne Cemetery, http://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM01080b.htm


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Figure 3 Weighbridge at the Hay Market. Bicycle race c1895, Charles Rudd, H6295 State Library of Victoria The cattle market in Elizabeth Street was reassigned for use as a general market and in 1869 construction commenced for the first building for the Queen Victoria Market - the meat hall on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Victoria Parade. Within a few years general market stalls had been constructed to the south up to Queen Street. Burials at the old cemetery ceased in the 1850s. An expanded Queen Victoria Market took over the northern section of the former cemetery with graves in the northern section of the cemetery proposed to be exhumed5 and transferred to the new Melbourne General Cemetery in Carlton. The consolidation of the major markets within or close to the City North study area and the close proximity to the ports via Peel Street, encouraged development of industries associated with the markets close by. Horse and carriage/dray was the primary means of transport for the agricultural produce to and from the hinterland until the extensive development of the railways across the state by the end of the nineteenth century. Even after the railway system was well developed, horse/dray and carts remained important for distribution to local markets. Stabling, carriage makers and agricultural implement makers logically focused on the City North area in the nineteenth century, continuing into the twentieth century to incorporate the new technology associated with motorised vehicles. This transport connection remains evident today. The wide road reservations for Flemington Road and Royal Parade were planted with trees in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and took on the character of major boulevards. In addition to their role as transport routes, they were sometimes used for public events. Figure 15 shows a procession of mounted soldiers and carriages about to leave for the Boer War in 1900 at the Haymarket intersection. From the late nineteenth century, continuing expansion of the metropolitan population encouraged the further development of a commuter network. The wide boulevards in Peel Street, Elizabeth Street and Flemington Road were each adapted for a central tramway with the result that a large proportion of the metropolitan tram system was funnelling through the City North Study Area by the 1920s.

5 It is understood that the exhumation and transfer of graves was not completed before the land was asphalted for use as the Queen Victoria Market.


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Showrooms prospered along the wide Elizabeth Street boulevard between the wars. Redevelopment of the land occupied by the northern markets after WW2 provided land for the new Dental Hospital opened in 1963 and the Royal Melbourne Hospital in the 1930s. The string of Parkville medical research facilities clustered near the University and the hospitals and the redevelopment of several of the industrial/warehouse sites in South Carlton by the University of Melbourne, reinforced City North as an area of academic excellence, encouraging the development of intensive student accommodation nearby in the late twentieth century. The redevelopment of the south west edge of the city from industrial to largely residential use and the relocation to the suburbs of small scale industrial activities traditionally located on the northern and western fringe of the city centre, has encouraged residential development throughout the inner city. The high quality ‘Terrace’ apartment development of 1994 in Franklin Street was an early leader in this residential renaissance, encouraging residential development close to the central business zone. The City North area has traditionally been an area of low scale development. Today, as Melbourne’s population continues to expand, the City North area is experiencing development pressure from two flanks – further expansion of the city centre for apartment style housing from the south and expansion of the hospital and academic sector from the north.

Figure 4 The Hay Market and Pig Market, and the Weighbridge at the intersection of Flemington Road, Elizabeth Street and Royal Parade (Sydney Road). MMBW plan 1897, State Library of Victoria.

3.2 Theme 1. 1830s. A Wooded Landscape; Aboriginal contact. In preparing to survey the township Robert Russell prepared a map in 1837 showing the existing landscape features and the buildings constructed by Batman and Fawkner’s Launceston settlers, overlaid with a new grid of streets to be surveyed by the government close to the river. (Figure 5). The area to the east of the site marked ‘Burial Hill’ (later Flagstaff Hill) is delineated and annotated as ‘Lightly Wooded’. Further to the north roughly aligning with the rising land, Russell indicates the land as ‘Wooded”. An existing informal road leading to the west skirts around the west side of Flagstaff Hill. No remnants of the wooded landscape described by Hoddle and Russell in 1837 remain today.


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Figure 5 ‘Map shewing the site of Melbourne and the position of the Huts & Building previous to the foundation of the Township by Sir Richard Bourke’. Robert Russell 1837. Public Records Office Victoria. Surveyor Hoddle’s map of 1842 shows the new Cemetery (later Queen Victoria market) marked ‘Burial Ground’, laid out in denominational areas over an area of 10 acres and set in an open landscape devoid of the road network which would eventually be laid out within the City North Study area (Figure 6). Hoddle’s map also marks the ‘Cattle Market 10 Acres’ opposite the cemetery abutting the Township reserve boundary (Victoria Street). Victoria Parade had already been planned in the East Melbourne subdivision, as a generous boulevard to the east of the grid. Hoddle’s description of the land within the City North Structure Plan area is ‘Grassy forest land principally timbered with Eucalyptus, Casuarina, Mimosa’.

Figure 6 November 1842, Hoddle, Detail of the ‘Plan of North and South Melbourne’. Roll Plan 112, State Library of Victoria. Overland communication between Geelong and Melbourne provided access to the western grazing lands and developed from the beginning of the Melbourne settlement. Hoddle’s 1837 map of Melbourne records two roads leading to the hinterland in the north east (Figure 3), the most northern of which crosses Moonee Ponds Creek around Flemington Bridge, connecting with the city along a track roughly aligned with Flemington Road. (Figure 7)


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Figure 7 1837 with 1838 update. Hoddle. Note the road marked ‘To Melbourne” between ‘Sec 1’ and ‘Sec 2’ north of the Town Reserve for Melbourne marked in a heavy line. Within the Hoddle grid, Elizabeth Street is a natural low point and remains subject to inundation today, however intermittent water must have been considered a minor issue in the 1830s and did not prevent development of the land here. Without a permanent watercourse there is no particular open space within the City North Study Area which marks the Aboriginal land before and at the early European contact. However within the formal cemetery, the 1842 Hoddle map (figure 6) shows a section marked ‘Aborigines [1] Acre’, located in the north east corner around the alignment of the eastern end of the current Sheds B and C. The Aboriginal tribes of Melbourne could be interpreted through the area of land set aside as an Aboriginal burial area at the cemetery and now occupied by the Queen Victoria Market.

3.3 Theme 2. Markets; Servicing the Markets Kearney’s 1855 Plan of Melbourne shows the large land reservation made for local markets dedicated to hay, pigs and horses, at the northern edge of City North in an area now known as Parkville. By this time, the alignment of Elizabeth Street had been extended beyond the grid and Flemington Road had been surveyed roughly following the early track to Geelong. With the barriers presented by the Moonee Ponds Creek swamp and the Yarra, Flemington Road became the main route to the agricultural lands in the west of the state and to the goldfields. Many hotels located along this route, accommodating travellers to and from the city and the port. Surviving from the early period in Elizabeth Street are the Stork Hotel, the Royal Artillery Hotel on the corner of Queensberry Street and the Turf Club Hotel near the Hay Market. Several more are located off Elizabeth Street including the Cobb and Co staging post Mac’s hotel in Franklin Street and in Victoria Street opposite the Queen Victoria Market the Royal Exchange Hotel, the Central Club Hotel, Albert Hotel and Victoria Hotel. In Peel Street the Sir Robert Peel Hotel and the Shannon and Shamrock Hotel both survive. The government provided 50 acres of land for a terminus at Batman’s Hill in Spencer Street for what began as privately financed railways but had to be taken over by the government within a few years. The first government train ran from Spencer Street in 1859 in an arc around the east and north sides of the large swamp terminating the Moonee Ponds Creek. Ships docks were already well developed at Queens Wharf near the Customs House at the southern end of William Street. Extending along the Yarra river bank to the west, the docks and the railways naturally intersected with each other. The railways provided a fast and reliable form of transport from the docks to the hinterland, but horse drawn vehicles continued to play the major role in the distribution of goods to local markets.


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Figure 8 Kearney 1855. Two details of the, Plan of Melbourne and its Suburbs. State Library of Victoria Note the market reservations to the west of the University, the cemetery at the now Queen Victoria Market side and the absence of Peel Street north of Victoria Street. Horses need to be rested, consequently market locations carry an associated trade in stabling. And vehicles need to be repaired, leading to an associated carriage trade and accommodation trade for drivers to the Market and traders at the market. Here was a ready customer base for the machinery used in agricultural production. (Figure 9). The simple nineteenth century carriage factory at 87-89 Flemington Road is an extant example within the City North study area. The area around the markets was also an ideal location for the agricultural implement industry. With the lands to the north of the Markets reserved for parks and the University, and the land to the west in North Melbourne already closely developed for housing, the obvious location for these market-related industries was between the Hay Market, what would become the Queen Victoria Market, and the area of South Carlton and the city centre, extending east a few blocks beyond Elizabeth Street. Interspersed with rowhouses, these areas developed with small scale industry servicing the various markets. The building on the triangular site at the intersection of O’Connell and Cobden Streets is a good example of the small scale buildings associated with the market service sector. This area was also used for warehousing and some fine examples remain for example 15-19 O’Connell Street. In South Carlton,


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the extensive warehousing of the Myer Emporium in Berkeley Street is typical of the city fringe servicing provided by the Carlton South area.

Figure 9 ‘Hugh Wilson Engineer and Machinist, St Crispin Iron Works, Flemington Road’, 1875. Note the agricultural equipment. B32747 State Library of Victoria. Degruchy and Leigh prepared a panoramic image of Melbourne in 1866. (Figure 10).The southern portion of City North is included in this rare, three dimensional image. In contrast to the central city character of development south of La Trobe Street, the City North area is more open and includes several chimney stacks associated with industrial activities. In marked contrast with the industrial sector is the already well developed, small scale residential development to the west of the cemetery (now Queen Victoria Market), which largely remains today along Peel and Capel Streets at the edge of the North and West Melbourne heritage precinct.


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Figure 10 Degruchy and Leigh 1866, detail, Panorama of Melbourne looking south. State Library of Victoria. Although the wholesale component of the Queen Victoria Market is no longer in place, the general retail market continues and today remains the bustling centre for activity illustrated in the Christmas photo of the intersection of Queen and Victoria Streets in 1907, albeit with the horses substituted by motor vehicles. (Figure 11).


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Figure 11 ‘Victoria Markets XMAS 1907 First Arrivals’, Corner Queen and Victoria Streets, ID18141 North Melbourne Library.

3.4 Theme 3. Urban Planning in Melbourne - Boulevards and the Hay Market

Figure 12 ‘Drove of cattle for the Melbourne Market’, 1872. mp001728 State Library of Victoria The development of the city of Melbourne is closely connected with the development of the agricultural hinterland. Export of agricultural goods was a major component of Australia’s economy from an early date and Victoria was a major contributor to it, largely passing through the Port of Melbourne. Droving livestock all the way into the city grid (Figure 12) was anticipated in the provision of wide access points. Before the development of an extensive rail freight network, goods had to be brought to


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the docks at the Customs House in Finders Street at the end of William Street. Degruchy and Leigh’s 1866 panorama shows the close connection between the city grid and the docks on the river. (Figure 10). The barrier created by the swamp to the west, required transport vehicles to negotiate the western end of the grid in order to connect with the hinterland to the north and west. Peel Street connected directly with the docks via William Street to the south and with both the Sydney Road (Royal Parade) and Flemington Road transport routes at the Hay Market in the north. An extra wide road reservation facilitated the flow of traffic along Peel Street.

Figure 13 Elizabeth Street with trams, 1910, C.C. Reade. Slide 30, H91.90/15, State Library of Victoria.

Figure 14 Peel Street without trams. 1910, C.C. Reade. Slide 32, H91.90/17, State Library of Victoria.


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Elizabeth Street provided a direct connection to the Queens wharf a little up stream. Here again, an extra wide reservation was provided, increasing the width of the already generous streets in the Hoddle grid. Both streets converge at the Haymarket intersection, replete with landscaped medians installed by the early twentieth century. (Figures 13 and 14). The London Plane trees now mature in Elizabeth Street appear to be those shown in Figure 13 in 1910. The plantings in Peel Street were altered as part of the central tram median in the early twentieth century. Hoddle’s plan for the subdivision of Carlton had promised so much for this area. With the University reserved to the north, a fringing ring of parklands and an elevated location, the area to the north of the first town reserve for Melbourne was laid out with the elements required to achieve a high level of urban amenity. The streets are of generous width and several areas are set aside for London style parks. The axial arrangement of the parks around and along Pelham Street is a rare example of formal town planning for the young city of Melbourne. The design has just one developed block between each of the three parks, resulting in an open treed landscape and a strong east west axis which have a strong impact on the urban form. Pelham Street starts at the Carlton Gardens and ends at the Hay Market intersection. Argyle Square and Lincoln Square intersect its alignment but incorporate aligned central pedestrian paths For University Square the park link the axis on the northern side Pelham Street which in turn, physically connects with the open space at the University and visually connects to the University entrance in Grattan Street. Government surveyor Clarke had designed an ambitious park focused town plan for St Vincent Place at Albert Park in the 1850s based on a circus arrangement. The rectilinear form of the focus of the Carlton South urban park plan is less striking than Clarke’s St Vincent Place design, but more ambitious in its extent. Clarke also designed a circus based arrangement for the subdivision of North Melbourne in the early 1850s, but very little of this was eventually implemented. (See Kearney’s 1855 plan Figure 8)

Figure 15 1900. The Hay Market intersection with Pelham Street to the left and Peel Street to the right. ‘Boer War Procession showing mounted soldiers and wagons’ about to leave for war, E. J. Frazer. H36420/45 State Library of Victoria.


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The alignment of Pelham Street with the intersection of the three major boulevards – Flemington Road, Royal Parade (Sydney Road) and Elizabeth Street, appears to be a purposeful device, further enhancing the potential for the creation of a major urban space at the Hay Market. The slightly later Peel Street connection adds further to this. (Figure 15.) Civil street works typical of the designs across the City of Melbourne were constructed within City North using the local bluestone, dressed blocks for kerbs and rows of pitchers for gutters. (Figure 17). The majority of these nineteenth and early twentieth century engineering works remain throughout City North and are in excellent condition.

Figure 16 1900, The Hay Market building in the background, ‘Eight Hour Day procession, Steam and candle Works lorry’. A14529, State Library of Victoria.

Figure 17 Bluestone crossovers, kerb and six course pitcher gutter, Queensberry Street, 2010.


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3.5 Theme 4. Servicing the Central City To maintain reasonable amenity in the central city, early legislation had pushed the most noxious industries such as slaughter houses, away from the Yarra River towards the west of the city grid and to the Maribyrnong River. With the 1854 Act to Prevent Further Pollution of the Waters of the River Yarra above the City of Melbourne, the ‘cleaner’ industries which serviced the city population still remained located close to the city centre. The city fringe land to the north of the city grid was an ideal central location for these services to the growing metropolis. In South Carlton residential development had developed south of Grattan Street, with the highest quality close to the University. The MMBW Plans from the 1890s show that residential development continued towards with city grid, except for industrial/commercial/ transport related uses along Queensberry Street and Elizabeth Street (Figures 18 and 19). In the twentieth century non-residential uses filtered through to the north. In places, previously residential sites were redeveloped for light industrial and commercial uses. Today, small scale, nineteenth century residential remains dominant north of Pelham Street; whereas to the south small scale residential remnants are scattered between small and medium scale mid twentieth century non-residential buildings.

Figure 18 1896. Residential development dominates in South Carlton MMBW Plans 1175 and 1176. State Library of Victoria

Figure 19 1896. Residential development dominates in South Carlton MMBW Plans 1177. State Library of Victoria

South of Queensberry Street, a large and intensive brewing industry developed from an early date in Bouverie Street, eventually taking over the whole block bounded by Bouverie, Queensberry, Swanston and Victoria Streets. (Figure 20). Including a malting house, the malodorous nature of the industrial activity discouraged residential development in the South Carlton region and consolidated the small


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scale industrial character of this area. Notwithstanding, residential development had occurred in and around the industrial sites in the nineteenth century as is evident on the 1895 MMBW Plan. (Figure 21)

Figure 20 Poster, Carlton Brewery, 1876. is001368, State Library of Victoria.

Figure 21 1896. Residential development is mixed with larger factory sites south of Queensberry Street. Madeline Street is now Swanston Street. MMBW Plans 1179 and 1180. State Library of Victoria


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South of Victoria Street, larger factory sites predominated in 1895, and there were many hotels provided accommodation along Elizabeth Street and in the streets nearby. (Figure 22)

Figure 22 1895. Larger factory sites predominate south of Victoria Parade. MMBW Plans 1022 and 1023. State Library of Victoria The land at the southern end of the City North area continued to develop with low scale, city fringe businesses, light industrial and warehouse activities into the twentieth century. Myer constructed substantial warehouse facility in Queensberry Street. With the rise of motorized vehicles and trucks, industries providing sales and service to the motor trade concentrated here, spreading up the hill along Elizabeth Street. Two car showrooms remain in Elizabeth Street north of Victoria Street and many motor bike outlets remain south of Victoria Street. The streamlined architectural styling of the premises at on the north west corner of Queensberry and Elizabeth Street epitomize the sense of modern living and freedom associated with car ownership after the First World War. As the twentieth century proceeded, showrooms for furniture and the like co-located with the motor trade, taking advantage of the excellent showroom and warehouse potential. Built form remained low scale. The aerial in Figure 25 shows the generally full site coverage of allotments in the southern section of City North between 1920 and 1940. Only one of the chimney stacks scattered across the panorama of 1866 remains. (Figure 10) In the mid twentieth century, some residential allotments in Carlton South and allotments south of the Market were redeveloped for non-residential uses in the styles modern for the time. This phase of development is now under-represented in the City of Melbourne. Several examples remain in a cluster west of Lincoln Square.


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Figure 23 The southern section of City North. The four storey Myer Warehouse is in the lower left. Approximate date between 1920 and 1940. mp010331 State Library of Victoria The city markets dominated the north side of Flemington Road at the Haymarket in the nineteenth century. Redevelopment of these sites with large facilities for hospital purposes in the 1940s, may have contributed to the redevelopment of residential sites for commercial purposes on the opposite side of the road in North Melbourne. The very early curtain wall glass box at 55 Flemington Road built in 1955 is an example. Figure 24. The area between Flemington Road and Courtney Street had developed in the nineteenth century as a mixed use area with small scale industrial buildings juxtaposed with typical nineteenth century housing. The 1897 MMBW Plan illustrates this. Figure 25.

Figure 24 1960 Redevelopment of the markets around the Haymarket. Royal Melbourne Hospital, front wing 1936-1941, north wing 1950. The early curtain wall building at 55 Flemington Road is in the foreground to the left (Photo Wolfgang Sievers), (N.L.A.)


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After the Second World War most of the block behind the Flemington Road frontage between Bedford, Courtney, Harcourt Streets was redeveloped, leaving only a few of the early residential buildings remaining.

Figure 25 1897. Factory sites are mixed with small scale residential between Courtney Street and Flemington Road. MMBW Plans 756 and 761. State Library of Victoria

3.6 Theme 5. Residential Renaissance in the Central City North Melbourne and Carlton were desirable suburbs in the mid nineteenth century, well located close to employment and services, and with wide government roads. The building stock of generally single or two storey row-houses developed from the 1850s was largely complete across these suburbs well before the turn of the twentieth century. But both of these areas were close to the centres for the distribution of goods and as the city grew, the pressure for industrial and commercial uses increased. In North and West Melbourne, the residential development within City North was on relatively small blocks and occurred early – there was little redevelopment of housing for industry along Peel Street and Capel Streets as was typical in the early twentieth century elsewhere in North and West Melbourne. By the First World War, the inner suburbs had become unfashionable. Many workers now commuted to the city from the leafy suburbs of Essendon, Camberwell, Brighton, Ivanhoe etc, using the extensive suburban railway system. The middle class had moved out of many inner areas and residential accommodation was rented to waves of new immigrants. But by the late 1960s, fashion had turned full circle and the inner city suburbs of Carlton and North Melbourne received a new wave of residents from the suburbs who valued the heritage framework and cultural mix. This residential renaissance occurred within the existing low scale building stock. The first heritage controls were implemented in 1981 to apply to parks and boulevards6. Soon after, in 1983 planning controls providing protection to ‘Urban Conservation Areas’ came into effect. Now covered by precinct heritage overlays, many parts of the inner areas of Melbourne had retained their nineteenth century low scale and a high proportion of building stock which contributed to heritage significance.

6 Department of Planning, Report on Amendment 151 Concerning parks, Boulevards & Historic Precincts , June 1981.


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The areas not covered by Urban Conservation Controls in the 1980s were generally those where there had been a change from housing to industry or where industrial/commercial uses predominated. As industrial uses diminished in the latter decades of the twentieth century, residential redevelopment occurred on many sites in the low scale areas. The central city remained largely without residents however - 61 Spring Street was an unusual exception. The City of Melbourne launched the ‘Postcode 3000’ program to encourage housing development across a range of types. It was an outstanding success, prompting a second residential renaissance in redeveloped building stock in a high rise format. Subsequent high rise residential development in the Docklands consolidated a market for apartment living. On a similar model, large scale, high rise residential development began to appear in the previously commercial/industrial areas to the north and north-west of the central business district. Large areas of Franklin Street, and sections around the Queen Victoria Market have been redeveloped with high rise residential accommodation.

3.7 Theme 6. Expansion of the University of Melbourne into Carlton South As industrial uses diminished in the latter decades of the twentieth century, the areas of Carlton South where there had been a change from housing to industry or where industrial/commercial uses had previously been dominant were well located for the expansion of the university. In controversial circumstances, a portion of Carlton South with high heritage values and covered by precinct heritage controls was intensively redeveloped for education related purposes in the streets around University Square in 1998. Similar intensive development has following in the less sensitive locations to the south, leading to a change to the urban form and scale in some parts. Figure 26.

Figure 26 Expansion of the University of Melbourne into Carlton South. 2011


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4 Built Form Sectors The several phases of development have resulted in distinctly different urban forms across the City North Study Area. Ten Built Form Sectors have been identified as described below and shown in Figure 27. Recommendations for actions which would assist in the conservation of heritage significance within these Sectors are included in Section 6 with an annotated maximum height map.

Figure 27 City North. Ten Built Form Character Sectors.


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4.1 Built Form Character Sector 1 The Block bounded by Flemington Road, Harcourt Street, Courtney Street and Bedford Place.

Figure 28 Sector 1 Foundry in Little George Street 2009

Figure 29 Sector 1 55 Flemington Road (blue building to the centre of the photo), Royal Melbourne Hospital and the vacant former Dental Hospital site. 2011.

Scale and siting: The Royal Melbourne Hospital buildings are prominent on the north side of Flemington Road with the tallest having a height around 10 storeys. Lower built form within the hospital site is setback from the street to varying degrees near the Flemington Road boundary. The hospital buildings are outside the study area, but have influenced the provisions applying in the current DDO30 within the study area on parts of the south side of Flemington Road. DDO30 sets preferred heights which are similar to those existing for the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the University of Melbourne buildings to the east. In recent years, several developments have been approved or commenced in Sector 1 which are similar to the Royal Melbourne Hospital buildings in height.(Figure 29). The former Dental Hospital site is now vacant but will be developed in the near future as the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre. The proposed form and height of this development is unknown. The exceptionally wide Flemington Road comprises two service lanes with associated parallel parking, a main, central roadway with central trams tracks and footpaths separated from the roadway by wide nature strips graced with mature elms. Service roads on each side are divided from the generous width of the roadway by grassed medians planted with now mature brush-box tree rows. The existing elm positions appear to correspond with those shown on the late nineteenth century MMBW Plans and these specimens are likely to be over 110 years old. Except in Australia, Dutch elm disease has decimated elms throughout the world. Melbourne’s mature elms have international significance. The double tree avenue form used here is consistent with the style used in Melbourne’s other major nineteenth century boulevards at St Kilda Road and Royal Parade and Elizabeth Street. Flemington Road meets the equally generous Royal Parade and Elizabeth Street at the Haymarket intersection. This broad open space, traversed by three sets of tram tracks does little to capitalise on the dramatic termination of the paired tree avenues of the 3 boulevards. Existing heritage sites: The south side of Flemington Road is included in HO3. The recent intensive development projects here have included demolition of some low scale buildings and/or contributory buildings, resulting in a changed character. There are contributory buildings to the heritage precinct scattered through Sector 1 included amongst them a D graded foundry (figure 28) which contributes to an understanding of the industrial development associated with Theme 4, and a very early timber house in Villiers Street graded A which contributes to an understanding of the boulevards as transport routes to the hinterland (Theme 2). Overall however, the sector now has little relationship with the low scale, largely residential character of the adjoining North Melbourne heritage overlay area HO3.


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The boulevard form and tree planting along Flemington Road have high heritage values. The southern tip of Royal Parade is included in the Victorian Heritage Register. Flemington Road contributes to the themes of Markets and Urban Planning.

4.2 Built Form Character Sector 2 Elizabeth Street north of Queensberry Street

Figure 30 Sector 2 Elizabeth Street north of Queensberry Street. 2010

Figure 31 Sector 2 Elizabeth Street north of Queensberry Street. 2010

Scale and siting: Until recently, the built form between Pelham and Queensberry Streets has been similar on both sides of the very wide, tree lined Elizabeth Street boulevard - generally 1 to 3 storeys and occupying the whole of the allotment. On both sides of the road, many of the allotments in Elizabeth Street extent to the street at the rear – to Berkeley Street on the east and O’Connell Street on the west. Commercial showrooms predominate on both sides of the road, with a furniture or motor trade connection at several sites. On the west side, motor trade activity predominates. There is some open land is associated with this activity currently used for vehicle parking. The Common Ground project at 11 storeys on the east side at 660 Elizabeth Street is at odds with the existing and historical development in this sector, setting up pressure for new residential development at heights which are substantially greater than set down in DDO44. This project required the demolition of the D graded, two-storey, ‘Tills’ buildings related to the Markets discussed in Theme 2 and to servicing the city through the motor trade discussed in Theme 4. A current development application for the south east corner of Pelham and Berkeley Street, is for demolition of a building covered by an individual Heritage Overlay and also associated with Tills and the motor trade, and construction of a building across the whole of the site. If approved, the development would exceed the DDO44 preferred height limit by several storeys. North of Pelham Street the scale of existing buildings increases. The ‘C’ graded former Ampol building of 8 storeys on the corner of Grattan Street buildings has recently been demolished to enable the construction of the Peter Doherty Research Centre. It will have floor to floor heights of 4 metres and will exceed the BBO preferred height of 8 storeys by the equivalent of many metres.


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The ‘Common Ground’ development substantially changes the character of Sector 2. As DDO44 already encourages residential development to 28m in height, it could reasonably be expected that there would be more development consistent with or greater than the preferred DDO44 height in the future. Like Flemington Road, Elizabeth Street, is exceptionally wide. The service roads are divided from the generous width of the central roadway by elevated grassed medians on each side, now planted with mature London plane trees forming a dramatic broad canopy arching over the roadway. A row of younger planes is planted in the footpath on either side. (Figure 30) Existing heritage sites: There is no precinct heritage overlay in place in Sector 2. On both sides of Elizabeth Street there are several buildings which were graded in the 1980s, either in the Carlton, North Carlton and Princes Hill Conservation Study or the North and West Melbourne Conservation Study, however relatively few of these gradings translated into individual heritage overlays in the Planning Scheme in 1999. Notwithstanding, the majority of the buildings which contribute to the early to mid twentieth century character of this sector are extant and make a strong contribution to the existing built form character. The boulevard form and tree planting have high heritage values. Elizabeth Street north of Queensberry Street contributes to the Themes 2 and 3 related to Markets, Boulevards and Urban Planning.

4.3 Built Form Character Sector 3 Elizabeth Street south of Queensberry Street

Figure 32 Sector 3 Elizabeth Street south of Queensberry Street. 2010 Scale and siting: To the south side of Queensberry Street, the built form varies on either side of Elizabeth Street. The narrow frontages and two-storey scale of the Queen Victoria Market precinct predominate on the west, whereas on the east, the commercial showrooms typical of the area to the north of Queensberry Street predominate, with a scale between 2 and 4 storeys. On the west side, the recent residential development at number 591 Elizabeth Street of 7 storeys has an atypical scale and is anomalous in the streetscape. (Figure 32) Elizabeth Street is exceptionally wide. The service roads are divided from the generous width of the roadway by elevated grassed medians on each side planted with now mature London plane trees which form a dramatic broad canopy arching over the roadway. Although the west side of Elizabeth Street south of Queensberry Street is part of the North and West Melbourne Heritage Overlay HO3, Design and Development Overlay DDO44 also applies here. The DDO encourages residential development to 28 metres height or commercial development to 32 metres in height. This height is at odds with development which would be appropriate to the heritage place. A precedent has been set at number 591 Elizabeth Street that might be expected to be repeated if DDO44 remains in place.


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Existing heritage sites: As part of the Queen Victoria Market environs, the North and West Melbourne Heritage Overlay HO3 is in place on the west side of Elizabeth Street. On the east side of Elizabeth Street, the 4 buildings which were graded in the 1980s Carlton, North Carlton and Princes Hill Conservation Study are covered by individual heritage overlays. The difference in the built form character from one side of the street to the other reflects the differing historical development and the existing built form. The boulevard form and tree planting have high heritage values. Elizabeth Street south of Queensberry Street contributes to Themes 2, 3 and 4.

4.4 Built Form Character Sector 4 Berkeley Street and South Carlton

Figure 33 Sector 4 Berkeley Street contains several fine warehouses which contribute to heritage significance. 2010

Figure 34 Sector 4 contains a group of buildings from the mid century which contribute to heritage significance 2011

Figure 35 Sector 4 contains a group of buildings from the mid century which contribute to heritage significance 2011

Figure 36 Sector 4 contains many low scale buildings from the nineteenth century which contribute to heritage significance as well as some taller recent buildings of much greater bulk. 2011

Scale and siting: Carlton South is a government subdivision with a grid arrangement, generous street widths and two large, London style parks. Lanes provided to service residential sites for vehicle accommodation and sewage collection in the nineteenth century, crisscross most blocks. Although narrower than the general width of streets for South Carlton, Berkeley Street remains of reasonable width with good commercial exposure. Three built form scales are found in Sector 4. The MMBW Plans from the 1890s show that development in South Carlton was initially small scale residential covering most of the sites from Grattan Street, south to Queensberry Street. The exception is Berkerley Street where there had been a


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higher proportion of warehouse/transport facilities in place by the early decades of the twentieth century. Figure 36 (Leicester/Pelham Streets) illustrates the small scale nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings which remain scattered throughout Sector 4. In the twentieth century, the non-residential uses which redeveloped on some of the row-house sites are generally two storey but cover several former house sites to be of larger bulk. A few are three storey buildings and some occupy a large land area, for example 132-138 Leicester Street. Several of higher architectural quality from the middle decades of the twentieth century, are extant. A cluster is located around Bouverie Street near Lincoln Square. Figures 34 and 35. This phase of development is now under-represented in the City of Melbourne. Interspersed amongst the small scale houses and larger mid 20th century commercial premises are large scale buildings associated with the University and some large scale apartment developments. Berkerley Street has an early/mid twentieth century warehouse character. Running parallel with Elizabeth Street, many of the allotments facing Berkeley Street extend from street to street, providing the ideal requirements for a showroom/warehousing facility – namely display on the main street with vehicle and loading access to the secondary street. As the twentieth century proceeded, showrooms for furniture and the like also co-located with the motor trade, taking advantage of the excellent showroom and warehouse possibilities close to the city centre in South Carlton. The warehouse/commercial facades within Berkerley Street are generally well considered architectural forms. Height generally remained low as illustrated in Figure 33. Even the large, four-storey Myer showrooms on the corner of Berkerley and Queensberry Streets are not tall. Broadly, the height of development in Berkeley Street reflects the height of buildings which run through to Elizabeth Street. At the ‘Common Ground’ site there has been recent redevelopment for residential accommodation to 11 storeys involving the demolition of a long frontage of fine, redbrick warehouse buildings which reinforced the early twentieth century character and scale within Berkeley Street. The demolition has lead to a diminution of the heritage character of the street. Two current development applications at the northern end, one on the corner of Pelham and Berkeley Street and the other at the former Ampol building on the corner of Grattan and Berkerley Streets, are for buildings which would exceed the DDO44 preferred height limit of 8 storeys applying to this area. It could reasonably be expected that there could be more development proposals consistent with the preferred DDO44 height in Berkeley Street in the future. Existing heritage sites: Many individual sites are covered by an individual heritage overlay in South Carlton area south of sector 10. Some of these are the remnant nineteenth century residential buildings and hotels from the nineteenth century, others relate to the redevelopment of land for industrial/commercial uses. The warehouse qualities of Berkeley Street on the north side of Queensberry Street are distinctive and have high heritage value. Some of the smaller non-residential mid twentieth century buildings also have architectural distinction. Not all of these are graded. Carlton South contributes to Theme 4.


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4.5 Built Form Character Sector 5 Leicester Street and east to Swanton Street

Figure 37 Sector 5 Leicester Street and east to Swanston Street. 2010

Figure 38 Sector 5, Queensberry Street 2011 Scale and siting:

The large industrial site at the former Carlton and United Brewery (CUB) in the block bounded by Swanston, Queensberry, Bouverie Streets and Victoria Parade has been demolished for many years but the site continues to dominate Sector 5 as largely vacant land fringed by historic structures of 2 to 4 storeys. New construction has recently commenced on the south east corner of the site. To the west of the former CUB site, are low to mid height buildings of mixed commercial and residential us, including buildings around 5 storeys in height. The roadway reservations in this government subdivision are wide, as are the footpaths. Existing heritage sites: Seven individual heritage overlays are in place. In Bouverie Street the streetscape of bluestone structures related to the early brewing here are prominent, but although these are included in the Victorian Heritage Register, these structures are facades propped up by temporary supports. In contrast, the whole of the Malting house in Swanton Street remains as a complete building providing the opportunity for a much higher standard of conservation. Leicester Street and the area east to Swanton Street contribute to Theme 4, Servicing the Central City.

4.6 Built Form Character Sector 6 City Fringe, east of the Queen Victoria Market environs

Scale and Siting: Sector 6 is a region of contrasts: very tall buildings for both office and residential use sit side by side with the low scale semi-industrial buildings which have characterised the area until recent times. In Elizabeth Street, development has retained a largely low scale, due to smaller lot sizes and the continuing motor trade uses. Somewhat dilapidated until recent times, replacement of the mid-scaled early and mid twentieth century buildings in the south-west section of the study area was encouraged by the construction of the high quality, Melbourne Terrace Apartments in 1994 on the corner of Franklin and Queen Streets. Considerable development has occurred in William Street looking over the Flagstaff Gardens and very tall residential development has concentrated east of Elizabeth Street around Therry and Franklin Street. This area is outside the 1837 Hoddle Grid and its early northerly extension to La Trobe Street. In adapting the street layout to the land between La Trobe Street and the original town boundary at Victoria Parade, the north-south streets and Franklin Street retained the same standard 99 feet (30 metre) width, but the secondary east-west streets have a different layout with Therry and A’Beckett Streets a little wider than the ‘little’ streets of the city grid. ‘Little’ streets are introduced on a north-south alignment including Anthony and Stewart Streets.


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DDO1 with no height restrictions applies in this area. A permit is in place for the redevelopment of the early 1850s Stork Hotel on the corner of Therry and Elizabeth Street with a very tall residential scheme which will be out of scale with the low scale Market environs to the west. At Victoria Parade, the generous proportions of the Elizabeth Street boulevard are reduced to 30 metres width consistent with the Hoddle grid. Typically wide central city footpaths are in place on the major streets. Existing heritage sites: Only 3 sites are covered by individual heritage overlays. The 1985 Central City Activities District Conservation Study, graded a greater number of buildings in this city fringe Sector 6, including showroom/warehouse buildings from the middle decades of the twentieth century. Some of the sites which included graded buildings but which were not subject to an individual heritage overlay have been demolished and/or redeveloped in recent years. Some of the sites in Sector 6 are considered to be relatively undisturbed and are included in the City Archaeological map as having ‘potential’ or ‘partially disturbed’.

Figure 39 Sector 6 City Fringe east of the Queen Victoria Market environs. 2010


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4.7 Sector 7 Queen Victoria Market environs south and east

Figure 40 Sector 7 Archaeological potential Scale and Siting: Queen Victoria Market is at the site of the second cemetery for Melbourne and is aligned with the magnetic east boundary of the first Melbourne Township Reserve along Victoria Parade. The oblique intersection of the city grid alignment, and the survey aligned to magnetic north outside the first township, have a strong impact on the urban form around the market. Fringing the market reserve along Therry, Queen and Franklin Streets are generally small scale buildings which support market related functions and are of an appropriate scale as context for the largely single storey open sheds and two-storey ancillary enclosed buildings of the Queen Victoria Market. DDO14 applies to the Queen Victoria Market and the market environs to the east and south. Having regard to the heritage value of the Queen Victoria Market, separate areas within DDO14 set out a gradation of heights for new development.


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Existing heritage sites: The majority of the sites fringing the market reserve were graded in the 1985 Central City Activities District Conservation Study, but only one is subject to an individual heritage overlay. Several sites are considered to be relatively undisturbed and are included in the City Archaeological map as having ‘potential’ or ‘partially disturbed’. (Figure 40) The Queen Victoria Market and the environs to the east and south contribute to the theme of Markets.

4.8 Built Form Character Sector 8 Queen Victoria Market environs north

Figure 41 Sector 8 Queen Victoria market environs north 2010 Scale and Siting: The Hoddle grid alignment of Elizabeth Street continues across the boundary of the first Melbourne Township Reserve at Victoria Parade. Princes Bridge crossing the river at Swanston Street to continue as St Kilda Road, is the only other location where this occurs. The Elizabeth Street road extension illustrates its pivotal importance in the connection of the early Melbourne town with the hinterland. North of the Queen Victoria Market, a triangle of land is created by the extension of Elizabeth Street to the Hay Market and the cadastral north road alignments of Peel Street also arising from this and leading to the docks. A strongly market related use developed here with buildings between 2 and 5 storeys, food warehouses, hotels, some houses, stables and small implement makers servicing the Queen Victoria Market. The intersection of O’Connell Street running parallel with Elizabeth Street and the network of small streets on the magnetic grid alignment, create a distinctive character here. DDO44 applies on the east side of O’Connell Street. Recent tall development has occurred to one site on the west side of Elizabeth Street extending through to O’Connell Street. The DDO44 overlay encourages residential development to 28 metres and commercial development to 32 metres. At number 591 Elizabeth Street, the 7 storey narrow structure complies with the DDO height but does not comply with the heritage provisions. It is at odds with the character of the heritage precinct and might set a precedent if DDO44 were to remain in place. DDO32 applies elsewhere in Sector 8 with provision for 14 meters in height. In the last decade there has been quite extensive residential development compliant with DDO32 and the heritage values have been largely retained while at the same time allowing significant new development opportunities. Existing heritage sites: The whole of Sector 8 is included in the North and West Melbourne precinct heritage overlay HO3. Many buildings within Sector 8 are graded in the North and West Melbourne Conservation Study 1985, including a fine streetscape of nineteenth and early twentieth century shops along the north side of Victoria Parade. The northern Queen Victoria Market environs contribute to the theme of Markets.


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4.9 Built Form Character Sector 9 Queen Victoria Market, Peel and Capel Streets

Figure 42 Sector 9 Peel Street . 2010

Figure 43 Sector 9, Queen Victoria Market in Victoria Street. 2010

Scale and Siting: Established as a cemetery within a few years of the first settlement of Melbourne, the Queen Victoria Market took over the northern portion of this public use site by 1878 and the southern portion by 1922. The Queen Victoria Market continues a market related focus at the northern edge of the city grid. Although extensive in land area, the Queen Victoria Market is primarily a series of single storey sheds with ancillary premises of single and two storeys on the perimeter to the north and east. The southern portion of the market is open land used for carparking following the relocation of the wholesale market away from this area. The market use dominates the sector and its surrounds. DDO14 applies to the Queen Victoria Market and the market environs to the east and south. Having regard to the heritage value of the Queen Victoria Market, separate areas within DDO14 set out a gradation of heights for new development. DDO32 applies in most of Peel and Capel Streets with a preferred maximum height of 14 metres. Some recent development in Peel Street has complied with the DDO provisions but has not been consistent with heritage provisions. Outside the first Melbourne Town Reserve the streets follow a broad magnetic north alignment. Rathdowne, Lygon, Swanton, Peel and Nicholson Streets are amongst a small number of streets which originate outside the Reserve and extend south to meet the grid. The most important of these is Peel Street, clearly evidenced by the much wider road reservation and the central plantation. The scale of development here is generally two storeys with some recent development opposite the Queen Victoria Market up to 4 storeys. Capel Street includes nineteenth century residential streetscapes of largely single fronted, two storey row houses.

Figure 44 Now demolished, an early house at 134 Peel Street Photo taken c. 1941-1943, Ritter and Jeppesen. H2010.73/22 State Library of Victoria.


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Existing heritage sites: The North and West Melbourne precinct Heritage Overlay HO3 applies in Peel and Capel Streets. Many buildings within Sector 9 are graded in the North and West Melbourne Conservation Study, 1985. There is a generally high level of consistency in the streetscapes and there are particularly fine streetscapes north and south of Victoria Parade and in Capel Street. The central tram pole installation in Peel Street is included in the Victorian Heritage Register. The northern part of the Queen Victoria Market is also included in the Victorian Heritage Register. As the site of the second cemetery for Melbourne, the whole of the block bounded by Peel, Franklin, and Queen Street and Victoria Parade have archaeological potential. The Queen Victoria Market Sector contributes to Themes 1, 3 and 4, related to Aboriginal Contact, Urban Planning and Markets

4.10 Built Form Character Sector 10 Grattan Street and the northern portion of South Carlton.

Figure 45 Sector 10 . Leicester Street Low Scale nineteenth century buildings flanking a new development that is of an appropriate height and setback, consistent with the guidance in Clause 22.05

Figure 46 Sector 10. In contrast with the harmonious outcome illustrated in Figure 45, in Barry Street, new development which is too high and inadequately set back from the street leads to a poor outcome within the heritage place. This development was the outcome of a ministerial amendment.

Figure 47 Grattan Street is lined by a mature elm avenue.

Figure 48 1896. MMBW Plan 1177. State Library of Victoria


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Scale and Siting: Grattan Street is a wide government road laid out by Hoddle in his plan for south west Carlton in the early 1850s. A large proportion of the nineteenth century row-houses shown on the MMBW Plan of 1896 (figure 48) are extant and the scale remains low. The 1896 MMBW Plan indicates a line of trees in place on the north side of the road. These are likely to be the existing mature trees. The row on the south side area of similar size. Existing development on either side of University Square in Barry and Leicester Streets is of a similar character and low scale. In Barry Street tall additions have been made to some of the nineteenth century row-houses as part of a Ministerial Amendment. These works are substantially taller and have a setback substantially less than would result from the application of the guidance for additions to a heritage place in the Planning Scheme. They overwhelm the graded buildings and are a poor heritage outcome. (Figure 46) In contrast, additions to buildings in Leicester Street are consistent with the guidance in Clause 22.05 and are more appropriate in height and setback. Sector 10 contributes to the significance of the largely nineteenth century, residential, Carlton heritage place. Existing heritage sites: Grattan Street is appropriately included in the included in the precinct Heritage Overlay for Carlton HO1. The majority of the buildings in sector 10 are graded C, three are graded A.


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5 Accommodating heritage values within the parameters for change

5.1 Accommodating demand at appropriate locations The population of Melbourne is growing and there is continuing demand for new housing accommodation. Extending the low density urban sprawl into prime agricultural areas is a poor environmental outcome and in the long term, a poor economic one requiring expensive new infrastructure to be spread too thinly. Concentrating development in areas which already have access to services is one response to this demand. Over the last two decades, the City of Melbourne has been the setting for extensive residential development with a range of building types including: large sites developed with very tall apartment buildings such as at Docklands and in West Melbourne; very small student accommodation units in Swanston Street of around ten storeys on medium sized sites; multiunit development around 3 to 5 storeys within the previously small scale industrial zones on medium sized sites; and multiunit development of 2 to 4 storeys on small site areas within the largely residential zones. While it is obvious that on a given site, the more floor levels that are constructed, the greater will be the eventual yield in floor area, and potentially a greater density; tower accommodation such the housing type at Docklands would not satisfy the range of housing requirements which are predicted for the Melbourne community. Moreover, high rise residential development applied uniformly across the city would remove the fine grain character which has created neighbourhood identity, and would diminish the separate sense of place arising from the pockets of varied historic development patterns. Low density/low rise, and medium density housing will also required for Melbourne. The area north of Queen Victoria Market (Sector 8) provides an example of the medium density redevelopment which has occurred under current controls over the last decade. With the exception of the discordant height of the seven storey 591 Elizabeth Street (a development encouraged by DDO44), past medium density development in Sector 8 has not greatly affected the heritage values within HO3. The retention of the valued local character of places should be an important factor in the determination of the location for development densities. Heritage values are often a key component of valued local character. In his recent article “Today’s city created in the past”, Dr. Alan March notes that it is ‘well known that in the early 1980s Melbourne’s central area suffered a range of ailments, including the ongoing loss of heritage buildings; poor amenity, urban design quality and environmental outcomes’7. The introduction of heritage controls in 1983 halted this loss and has ensured Melbourne’s distinctive character has been retained. It would be a poor outcome for the urban quality of the city, if heritage assets were now to be sacrificed to achieve high density across all areas, simply because the City of Melbourne is well serviced by infrastructure. The benefit of a Planning Scheme is that a fine grain plan for desired development can be laid out. Retaining heritage values assists in the crafting of a plan for increasing development density across the range of to low, medium, high and very high rise types, while retaining highly valued existing urban form and character. Generally, where there are heritage overlays, low height/ medium density development could be considered. Tall and very tall/high density development should be located away from heritage places.

5.2 Interaction of DDOs and HOs. There are two fundamental aspects to heritage conservation: > Retention of heritage significance - achieved through the retention of an adequate quantity of the

fabric which contributes to that significance. The provisions related to demolition in the heritage

7 Dr. Alan March, “Today’s City Created in the Past: Even Walker & David Yencken”, in Atrium, 15/2010, University of Melbourne, p.6.


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clause at 43.01 and local heritage policy provide guidance on what to keep. These are only useful however where sites are covered by a Heritage Overlay.

> Providing an appropriate context which allows the heritage fabric to be dominant – achieved through adoption of development which respects the height, setback, location and character. Again, the heritage clause at 43.01 and local heritage policy provide guidance. Key amongst the contextual issues is height – both for development adjoining a heritage place or for development which is an addition to heritage fabric.

Heritage provisions are largely reactive to development proposals. In contrast Design and Development Overlay provisions are largely a proactive prescription, setting down the form of development through desired outcomes for maximum heights. While Design and Development Overlays often make reference to heritage values, they rarely include the proactive consideration of the heights which would be appropriate within the heritage overlay. DDO14 is unusual in setting appropriate parameters and as a consequence realistic expectations for development which is consistent with heritage considerations. Other DDOs which apply in City North –DDO 30, DDO32 and DDO44 - set heights which are greater than are consistent with good conservation outcomes. Consequently, it is a primary recommendation of this report that, where heritage conservation is a desired outcome within a Design and Development Overlay, specific heights, should be prescribed which are appropriate to the heritage considerations within the overlapping Heritage Overlay area.

5.3 Certainty in relation to heights Where height is an important development control, certainty that this will be adhered to by all applicants is fundamental to achieving the planned outcome. In recent years, developers have had little regard to the heights indicated in Design and Development Overlays and have received permits for taller developments through one of the mechanisms available – Council, the Department of Planning and Community Development, the Minster of Planning or the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Where height is specified in a DDO, construction over this height should be prohibited. Some Design and Development Overlays have different maximum heights depending on the type of development proposed. For example, DDO 44 has a preferred maximum building height of 28 metres for residential development and 32 metres for commercial development based on floor to floor heights of 3.5m and 4m respectively. This is interpreted by some developers as a 32 metre maximum, with floor to floor heights adjusted down to achieve the maximum development potential. Provision of variable floor to floor height indicators appears to be of little value. In any DDO, indication of a maximum overall building height in metres rather than storeys, provides the clearest direction.

5.4 Recommended range of heights for City North The City North Study Areas exhibits dramatically different existing heights and development intensities. While in some locations it could fairly be said that existing low height sites are underdeveloped - for example the former Carlton Brewery site - in others the existing low scale is an integral part of the character of the heritage place, and heritage controls should and do severely limit development intensity and height - for example in Peel and Capel Streets within the North and West Melbourne HO3, Along Grattan Street and at the Queen Victoria market. Figure 49. There is ample opportunity for expanded height and intensity of development in some Sectors of City North and in other parts of the City of Melbourne outside the Study Area, without dramatic change to the low scale heritage places which make a profound contribution to Melbourne’s sense of place. Figure 50


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Figure 49 A change to existing height is not appropriate in some locations within City North, for example the low scale Queen Victoria Market and the North and West Melbourne precinct HO3 to the west.

Figure 50 Change in existing height is appropriate in some locations within City North, for example the northern end of Berkerley Street.

The impact of more intensive development on heritage places within and adjoining City North has guided the preparation of the recommendations for appropriate heights in Figure 51.

5.5 Extent of Heritage Overlays in City North It has been twenty five years since the initial area conservation studies were undertaken. Some sites have been altered, better information is now available for others and some aspects of heritage significance in Melbourne are now better understood. It is time for a thorough heritage review encompassing a new survey on the ground with particular attention to the aspects which have been less extensively covered in previous work. This should include recognition of industrial sites, civil infrastructure and social significance. Cross linking individual heritage overlay places to other sites which contribute to a consistent historic theme, would assist the understanding of significance.

5.6 A Statement of Significance for Individual Heritage Overlays in City North

The preparation of a statement of significance for each of the individual Heritage Overlays is essential to the proper application of the heritage provisions at Clause 43.01.

5.7 Interpretation of Heritage Significance Interpreting heritage significance provides a connection between current and previous communities. It tells the story of how a place came to be, highlighting the forces which have influenced the way communities live and work today. Interpretation can enrich a sense of place. The old fashioned approach of a static display or commemorative object still has a place in the interpretation of significance, but a broader range of delivery systems are now available through the internet and phone networks. Innovative portals within the heritage place could be used to link users with interpretive information held off site.


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6 Summary of Recommendations for Retention and Enhancement of Heritage Significance within the City North Structure Plan Area

Undertake the following actions within the City North Structure Plan area.

6.1 Amendments to Design and Development Overlays: a. Remove discretionary heights.

Height is a key aspect of the control implicit in a Design and Development Overlay. If construction above the nominated height is discretionary rather than prohibited, the control is largely useless. In many cases, excessive height of new buildings or additions to existing buildings within a heritage overlay is detrimental to a heritage place. Amend Design and Development Overlays so that construction above the specified maximum is prohibited. Amend the height provisions of Design Development Overlays DDO44, DDO30 to be an explicit maximum in metres rather than related to storey heights for various types of use.

b. Recommended maximum heights.

Development across the City North Structure Plan area varies widely from small scale residential, through small to medium scale warehouse/showrooms, to very tall city centre development. Location adjoining a sensitive heritage locations, such as at the Queen Victoria Market, should also been taken into account in determining appropriate development heights. Heights which are appropriate to the retention of heritage values within the City North Structure Plan area are mapped on Figure 51. It is recommended that the height provisions of existing Design Development Overlays DDO44, DDO30 and DDO32 be amended to reflect the broad indication of potential for the development height indicated in Figure 51. The heights are defined as:

‘Low’ Low development height would blend with the existing built form and be similar to the general existing heights, having regard to the character of nearby heritage places. Height for new buildings and additions to buildings would be consistent with the provisions in Clause 43.01 and the guidance in Clauses 22.04 and 22.05. ‘L 11’ Low 11 metre maximum development height would blend with the existing built form and be similar to the general existing heights, having regard to the character of adjoining heritage places. Maximum height 11 metres ‘M 11’ Medium 11 metre maximum development height would not be prominent adjoining places covered by a Heritage Overlay. Maximum height 11 metres ‘M 22’ Medium 22 metre development height would not be prominent adjoining places covered by a Heritage Overlay. Maximum height 22 metres. ‘T 40’ Tall development height would be prominent within the Structure Plan area but would be appropriate to the context and existing established pattern. Where no individual Heritage Overlay is in place, maximum height to be 40 metres. Where an individual Heritage Overlay is in place and for sites adjoining an individual Heritage Overlay, development would have a lesser height consistent with a respectful conservation approach as nominated in metres in the DDO ‘Very Tall’ Very Tall development provides an appropriate relationship between Tall development and the unlimited height of the Central Business District. Maximum height 60metres. ‘No height limit’ No height limit development would have no height limit.


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Figure 51 Recommended maximum development heights.


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c. DDO32. Within the North and West Melbourne Heritage Overlay HO3, introduce a fine grain control to Design and Development Overlay DDO32 to reflect the differences in scale between the triangular area to the north of the market (Sector 8) where the built form is higher, and the generally very low scale of Capel Street and the west side of Peel Street (Sector 9). Amend the provisions of DDO32 to guide development in a manner which would be consistent with the application of the Heritage Overlay Clauses 43.01 and 22.05 for the retention and enhancement of heritage values. Increase the emphasis on retention and enhancement of heritage significance for areas within DDO32 which are also within the North and West Melbourne Heritage Overlay HO3 by amendment to the Objectives and Built Form Outcome provisions. Amend the existing DDO32 to be a maximum height in metres of 11 metres.

d. DDO44.

On the west side of Elizabeth Street south of Queensberry Street, amend the provisions of existing Design and Development Overlay DDO44 to guide development in a manner which would be consistent with the application of Clauses 43.01 and 22.05 for the retention and enhancement of heritage values within the North and West Melbourne Heritage Overlay Heritage Overlay HO3. Either introduce a fine grain control similar to the approach adopted for separate areas in DDO14, or amend the boundaries so that the area is included in DDO32.

Limit the impact of new development on heritage places. Amend the Objectives and Built Form Outcome provisions of Design and Development Overlay DDO44 to give emphasis to retention and enhancement of heritage significance at sites covered by an individual heritage overlay and include provisions which require development on sites not covered by Heritage Overlay to have regard to adjoining Heritage Overlays within and adjoining DDO44.

6.2 Amendments to Existing Heritage Overlays: Where sites are covered by an existing Heritage Overlay development should be consistent with the provisions in Clauses 43.01 and with local policy at Clauses 22.04 and 22.05 (depending on location inside or outside the central city zone) of the Planning Scheme. Some amendment to existing Heritage Overlays is recommended: a. Amendments to the boundaries of the North and West Melbourne Heritage Overlay HO3:

> Remove HO3 from the sites in Flemington Road where DDO30 currently applies. Undertake a heritage review of the buildings graded in the North and West Melbourne Conservation Study. Include graded sites in an individual Heritage Overlay where appropriate.

> Amend the boundaries of HO3 to include the road reservation of Flemington Road including the Haymarket up to H0299 and H0977 and the Heritage Overlay recommended for Elizabeth Street.

> Amend the boundaries of HO3 to include properties fronting Bedford Street. > Amend the boundaries of HO3 to include the road reservation for Victoria Street west of

HO496. > Queen Victoria Market is physically and historically closely related to the areas to the north

and west. Amend the boundaries of HO3 to include Victoria Market within HO3. b. Undertake a heritage review of all sites covered by individual Heritage Overlays. It is anticipated that

some modification to existing heritage overlays will occur: > Sites found to be neither individually significant nor part of a group would be recommended

for removal of the Heritage Overlay. > Existing Heritage Overlay would be recommended for removal for sites where the heritage

fabric has been substantially altered or demolished. > Some Heritage Overlays might be recommended for linkage as a group listing.


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c. As part of the heritage review, prepare a statement of significance for each individual heritage overlay and indicate appropriate heights for development including development at adjoining sites. Where the site is part of a group, the statement of significance should be for the group and include a list of all associated contributory sites.

d. Include the road reservation for Elizabeth Street north of Victoria Street, in an individual Heritage

Overlay with tree controls.

6.3 Investigation of Places for Further Heritage Controls Undertake a heritage review of all sites which were graded in the relevant 1980s conservation studies but which were not included in a Heritage Overlay. A new individual Heritage Overlay should be applied to sites which are found to be individually significant or which contribute to a significant group.

6.4 Interpretation of Historic Themes within City North a. Interpret the second cemetery for Melbourne at the Queen Victoria Market. b. Accurately map the location of the section of the cemetery allocated for Aboriginal burials and

interpret this at the Queen Victoria Market. c. The best urban spaces have a function. For example the Arc de Tromphe in Paris is a monument

which sits within a huge square which terminates several boulevards. The Haymarket has a similar scale and boulevard terminations but is currently a characterless space dominated by traffic, and bisected by double tram crossings, rendering the large land area largely useless. The Haymarket presents an outstanding opportunity for the interpretation of the nineteenth century planning for the urban form of Melbourne. It has the potential to become a major city landmark. The planned underground metro station nearby could further reinforce its potential. A major injection of funds is needed to develop an urban design which would solve the traffic issues and create a distinctive identity. A design competition might be appropriate for this site.


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7 Bibliography Nigel Lewis and Associates, Carlton, North Carlton and Princes Hill Conservation Study, 1985, City of Melbourne. Butler, G and Associates, North and West Melbourne Conservation Study, 1985, 1993, City of Melbourne. Butler, G and Associates, Central Activities District Conservation Study, 1985, City of Melbourne. Cole, E. 1979, Melbourne Markets 1841-1979 The story of the fruit and vegetable markets in the City of Melbourne, Melbourne Wholesale, Fruit and Vegetable Market Trust. Keating J.D., Mind the Curve! A History of the Cable trams, Halstead Press, 1970. Meredith Gould, Architects Conservation Architects, Harbour, Railway, Industry Conservation Study, City of Melbourne, 1985. Meredith Gould, Architects Pty Ltd, Queen Victoria Market Review of Height Controls, City of Melbourne, 2005 . Meredith Gould Architects Pty Ltd, City of Melbourne Heritage Precincts Project, December 2004 Melbourne Planning Scheme Melbourne Planning Scheme, Heritage Places Inventory July 2008. Historical Records of Victoria, Foundation Series, Volume One, Beginnings of Permanent Government, Vic. Gov.

Printer, 1981. Historical Records of Victoria, Foundation Series, Volume 2A, The Aborigines of Port Phillip 1835-1839, Vic. Gov.

Printer, 1982. Presland, Gary, Aboriginal Melbourne. The Lost Land of the Kulin People, Penguin 1994 Atrium, 15/2010, University of Melbourne. National Library of Australia, online picture collection Picture Australia and Picture Victoria, online images. Public Records Office, online index State Library of Victoria, map collection State Library of Victoria, picture collection online


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8 Appendix A Melbourne Planning Scheme Heritage Overlay maps for the City North Structure Plan area. Maps of gradings and streetscapes. Graeme Butler and Associates, North and West Melbourne Conservation Study, 1985, Graeme Butler and Associates, Central Activities District Conservation Study, 1985, Nigel Lewis and Associates, Carlton, North Carlton Conservation Study, 1985. Melbourne Planning Scheme, Design and Development Overlay maps for the City North Structure Plan area. Extract from Compass. Statement of significance for the HO3 North and West Melbourne heritage precinct and the Queen Victoria Market precinct from Meredith Gould Architects Pty Ltd, ‘City of Melbourne Heritage Precincts Project’, December 2004.


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Melbourne Planning Scheme Heritage Overlay map for the City North Structure Plan area 1 of 3.



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Melbourne Planning Scheme, Design and Development Overlay maps for the City North Structure Plan area. Extract from Compass.


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Graeme Butler and Associates, North and West Melbourne Conservation Study, 1985. Gradings Map


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Graeme Butler and Associates, Central Activities District Conservation Study, 1985. Gradings Map


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Nigel Lewis and Associates, Carlton, North Carlton and Princes Hill Conservation Study, 1985. Gradings Map


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Statement of significance for the HO3 North and West Melbourne heritage precinct and the Queen Victoria Market precinct from Meredith Gould Architects Pty Ltd, ‘City of Melbourne Heritage Precincts Project’, December 2004.

Statement of Significance for North and West Melbourne HO4 What is significant? Primarily residential, but fringed and overlaid with industry, North and West Melbourne has cultural heritage significance for its representation of the nineteenth century development which characterised the north western fringe to the city grid. Partly in and partly out of the 1837 Town Reserve, central city functions have been a consistent influence on development. Particularly important are the early markets, and industries which developed to service them and which boomed after the gold rush. The Victoria Market was a key generator for the small-scale peripheral industry in the eastern portion of the precinct. Although there are some buildings of individual significance, most contributory elements in North and West Melbourne are typical and sometimes humble examples of their date and style. Grouped together, they illustrate a nineteenth century living and working place. Some early buildings from the 1850s and early 1860s survive. Areas of outstanding architectural significance are found in the shopping precinct of Errol and Victoria Streets, focused on the fine Town Hall. Victoria Market has city, state and national significance as a nineteenth century market. It is also significant as a burial ground for the early settlers of Melbourne and for the Aboriginal community. North and West Melbourne is an area of irregular shape. The West Melbourne swamp and Moonee Ponds Creek define the west; and the important boulevards of Flemington Road and its extension as Elizabeth Street, define the north and east. Broad Streets provide a distinctive urban form through the oblique relationships of the four street layout patterns, separately generated by the juxtaposition of the position of the city grid, the magnetic north cadastral layout for the State and topographical factors. The boulevards, Flemington Road, Elizabeth Street and Peel Street, illustrate La Trobe’s intention for Melbourne to have well planned entrances from the hinterland to the city centre. Except for the Benevolent Asylum site, the principal period of development contributing to cultural significance is 1837 to 1914. The principal period of development contributing to cultural significance of the Benevolent Asylum site bounded by Elm, Abbotsford, Miller and Curzon Streets is 1913 to 1930. How is it significant? Historical Significance North and West Melbourne is historically significant as a part of La Trobe’s intentions for Melbourne to have residential precincts of high urban amenity, and impressive boulevards defining the entrances to the city. Scientific Significance North and West Melbourne has scientific (horticultural) significance for the collection of mature plants in street plantings including avenues and individual specimens of Ulmus procera, now rare throughout the world. North and West Melbourne as scientific (archaeological) significance at the burial ground on the site of Victoria Market, including the post 1835 settlers and the Aboriginal community Architectural Significance North and West Melbourne has architectural significance for the diverse range of nineteenth and early twentieth century built forms; including industrial and residential sites. Often these are typical and sometimes humble structures. North and West Melbourne has some individually significant buildings that are landmarks in Melbourne, some outstanding nineteenth century shopping precincts and some buildings surviving from the 1850s which are rare in Melbourne. Aesthetic Significance North and West Melbourne has aesthetic significance for the sometimes dramatic spaces and views created by the interaction of the undulating topography, and the broad streets with sometimes quirky oblique intersections.


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Social Significance North and West Melbourne has social significance through the burial ground which remains under Victoria Market. Contributing Parts to the Cultural Significance of the North and West Melbourne Precinct: The following elements contribute to the cultural heritage significance of North and West Melbourne: • Victoria Market, Royal Park and the Flagstaff Gardens. (Note that these abut the precinct boundary) • The boulevards of Flemington Road, Elizabeth Street and Peel Street, including the plantations,

street trees and road form. • Buildings graded A,B, C and D. • Places included on the Victorian Heritage Register which are within the primary period of significance

for the Precinct • The nineteenth century form of the roads and lanes. The oblique intersections, at the abutment of the

four different subdivision directions, are a key feature of the precinct. The extensive railway system. • Mature street trees. • Pleasance gardens including the mature trees. • Civic works, including bluestone kerb and channels and gutters, bluestone paving, sewer siphons,

service covers etc. North and West Melbourne Precinct Characteristics Key attributes of the North and West Melbourne precinct character include: • Wide principal streets and a network of lanes • Large parks/open spaces with mature tree plantings and smaller parks in the London-square style • Residential buildings and residential service buildings from the second half of the nineteenth century

and the first two decades of the twentieth century. • Terrace row form as the most common building type, rear wing scale lower than that at the front and

a small open space. • A low scale - two storey and single storey development as the most common. • Face brick and rendered masonry construction, sometimes incorporating a verandah element. Less

common, is timber and stone construction. • Small scale industrial redevelopment in the early twentieth century, generally limited in extent and

primarily located in the small streets. • Consistent scale adapted to the changing topography. • Bluestone street engineering works and asphalt roads and footpaths. Additional attributes of the Hotham Hill sub-precinct character include: • Terrace row form, usually including: a front garden setback, rear wing scale lower than that at the

front; and open space at the rear of allotments. • Few non-contributory intrusions to streetscapes Additional attributes of the Benevolent Asylum sub-precinct character include: • Face red brick or render as the prominent wall materials • Single storey construction or single storey with a discrete attic roof first floor • A front garden setback. Side setbacks are common on one or two boundaries. • Prominent roof forms, usually with terracotta tiles. • Consistent date of construction between 1913 and 1930, with few non-contributory elements. Additional attributes of the O’Connell Street sub precinct • Nineteenth and early twentieth century warehousing as the dominant built form. • Occupation of the whole of the site with built form. Precinct Objectives for North and West Melbourne, Additional to the Objectives Common to All Heritage Overlay Precincts as Noted in Clause 22.04. • To strengthen the visual connection between the Victoria Market and the North Melbourne residential

core. • To strengthen the visual connection between the Flagstaff Gardens and the residential buildings in

Dudley Street. • To maintain and enhance views to North Melbourne Town hall. • To acknowledge that sub precincts HO4A, HO4B, HO4D and HO4E have a lower proportion of

contributory heritage places.


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Statement of Significance for the Queen Victoria Market HO15 What is significant? The Queen Victoria Market is one of Australia’s great 19th century markets and the only survivor from a group of four central markets built in the nineteenth century by the Corporation of Melbourne. It has been an important component in the distribution of fresh food in Melbourne. The market is an expression of the success of the nineteenth century City of Melbourne and has great cultural heritage significance for the complementary range of purpose designed structures necessary for a the variety of commercial functions of a major market, which survive intact. Surrounding properties have evolved as a functional adjunct to the market precinct, including shops and hotels in Peel and Victoria Streets and commercial premises in Therry, Franklin and Elizabeth Street. Stables and stores proliferated in the blocks around the market, particularly in the 1880s and up to the First World War, continuing the transport related uses also associated with the Horse and Corn Market in what is now Parkville. Beginning in the irregular eastern block, with construction of the wholesale meat market building in the 1860s, the western rectangular block in use as a cemetery was added in 1877, more, than doubling its size and providing accommodation for the wholesaling of fruit and vegetables whilst continuing to serve the retail sector. The Old Melbourne Cemetery was the first development in Melbourne to follow the magnetic north planning which dominates the surveying, planning and building development in Victoria. It was part of the infrastructure planned for the fledgling 1837 community. Set outside the grid and abutting the magnetic east-west alignment of the Town Reserve at Victoria Street, the cemetery is amongst the early allocations of land for community purposes and the first development in Melbourne to follow the magnetic north planning, which dominates surveying, planning and building development in Victoria. The precinct has been closely associated with the city as a living and working place, initially as the cemetery, from 1868 as the primary wholesale market for fresh food, and as a continuous retail market to the present day. The principal period of development contributing to cultural significance is from 1837 to the 1920s. Social significance continues to the present day. How is it significant? Historical Significance The Queen Victoria Market Precinct is historically significant: as a fresh food market, both wholesale for around 100 years, and retail from its inception to the present day. It is the only surviving nineteenth century market in Melbourne. The wholesale role for the Queen Victoria Market reflects the substantial population growth of the metropolis after the gold rush. The progressive development of the market between 1868 and the 1930s as the principal supplier of fresh food to Melbourne's populace reflects the expansion of Melbourne up to the Second World War. The development surrounding the market is historically significant for its association with the precinct as a transport hub in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Architectural Significance The Queen Victoria Market has outstanding architectural significance for illustration of simple but subtle organisation of open spaces and buildings associated with a functioning nineteenth century market. The market shed buildings, while utilitarian and plain, display a remarkably high level of integrity. The long rows of repeating market and shop/dwelling structures on the perimeter present a striking run of uniform elements which create important streetscapes. Development surrounding the market illustrates the structures and functions which augmented the markets central role in the distribution of fresh food in the nineteenth century and much of the twentieth century. Aesthetic Significance


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The precinct has aesthetic significance for the unique nineteenth century precinct forms and streetscapes, associated with the city as a living and working place. The integration of the natural slope into the functional market design adds to the distinctive internal vistas. Social Significance The Market Precinct is socially significant for its past and present role as both a mercantile and social gathering point and as a record of change and continuity in market activity over a long period. It has been an important shopping, leisure and meeting place for generations of Victorians. The complex of enclosed food halls, open sheds, shops and stores perpetuates distinctive forms of trading from nineteenth century and earlier market traditions. The precinct maintains the legacy of the former Eastern and Western Markets. It has become one of the key identifying symbols of Melbourne for locals and tourists alike, its popularity reflected in community and union campaigns to prevent its redevelopment during the 1970s. Contributing Parts to the Cultural Significance of the Queen Victoria Market Precinct:

• Buildings and associated spaces graded A,B, C and D. • All buildings, spaces and land included on the Victorian Heritage Register which are within the

primary period of significance for the Precinct • The form of streets and laneways including Peel Street with its tramway and median, Victoria

Street, Queen Street, Franklin Street, Therry Street and Elizabeth Street • Victoria Square or Market Square in Elizabeth street and the buildings on the east side of the

square • Civic works, including bluestone kerb and channels and gutters, asphalt and bluestone paving,

early signs, contributory street furniture, and service covers, sewer siphons etc. • Archaeological sites identified in the Melbourne CAD Archaeological Zoning Plan including the

form and potential burials sites within the Old Melbourne Cemetery. • Areas of Aboriginal cultural importance as identified in the AAV Archaeological Sites Register and

Aboriginal Historic Places Register and including the potential for Aboriginal burial sites at the Old Melbourne Cemetery.

• To promote the identification, protection and management of archaeological sites. Key attributes of the precinct character of the Queen Victoria Market Precinct Key attributes of the precinct character include:

• The height and scale of the contributing buildings, the open spaces between and around them, including streets and footpaths; and the high level of integrity

• The consistent architectural forms associated with the various market functions. • The skyline silhouette of market building when viewed towards the north, west and south. • Sunlight penetration to the open spaces within the market throughout the day.

Precinct Objectives for Queen Victoria Market. Additional to the Objectives Common to All Heritage Overlay Precincts as Noted in Clause 22.04.

• To retain the key attributes of consistent scale, height, architectural quality and contributory building fabric, open spaces and civic works.

• To retain the skyline silhouette for market buildings when viewed from the south and east, towards the north and west.

• To retain the existing level of sunlight penetration to open spaces within the market. • To protect the archaeological potential for burial sites below the existing buildings and paving. • To ensure a low scale buffer zone around the Market buildings. • To ensure that development in Victoria Street will maintain and strengthen the boulevard status

of the street.

Performance Standards for Development are included in Section 19 of this Document General Objectives, Precinct Objectives and Application Requirements are at Clause 22.04


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9 Appendix B Detailed 1897 MMBW maps of the area at high resolution are available from the State Library of Victoria and can be viewed on line. Low resolution images for a selection of maps are provided here.

MMBW Plan no.765, 1896

MMBW Plan no. 761, 763, 764 1896 weighbridge at Hay market


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Plan no.1153 MMBW 1896. Hay Market plan.

MMBW Plan no.1175 1176 1896 Weighbridge detail

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